5 Times Jackie Said Sorry (And One Time She Didn't)
by India M
Summary: Jackie Burkhart doesn't apologize often, so when she does? It's kind of a big deal
1. Chapter 1

Jackie took a deep breath, trying to get her excitement under control. Today was her first day of high school! And it would only be a matter of time before she ruled the school, with a super-hot boyfriend at her side. Maybe a football player? Or the class president?

She squared her shoulders, holding her books close to her chest, and shoved open the double doors. _Huh….this place sure looks a lot like the middle school_. Same gray lockers lining the walls, same dirty water fountains every few feet, same cliques dotting the hallways. She was standing in the doorway, scoping out the scene and trying to find her usual clique of pretty, rich girls, when someone bumped up against her back.

"Hey, watch it!" a raspy voice called out. Jackie stumbled, but caught herself. Turning to see who had collided with her, she was already spouting apologies.

"Oh my gosh, I'm sorry! I wasn't paying attention and-

"Yeah, whatever," a sullen boy with sunglasses on and hair that looked like he'd stuck a fork in an electrical socket glared back at her.

"You know, you don't have to be so rude," Jackie said hotly. _Who does this guy think he is? He bumped into me, I apologized, and he hasn't even told me I'm pretty or anything!_

"Welcome to high school," the guy smirked. "We're all rude; get used to it." Then, to Jackie's angry astonishment, his gaze slid from her head to her toes and back again, stopping at her boobs. When he met her eyes again, face still twisted in that awful smile, Jackie almost exploded.

"You-you," she struggled to find an insult worthy enough. "You jerk!" She stomped down the hallway, that awful boy's laughter still ringing in her ears. _What an asshole_ , she fumed. _At least I'll never have to see him again_. The thought of never seeing that mean, dirty jerk again was enough to put a smile on her face again.


	2. Chapter 2

She never knew quite how it happened, but somewhere along the line, Jackie had become friends with a group of misfits. I mean, here she was, one of the prettiest girls in school, and she spent all her free time in a basement. But, as much as she ragged on the gang, she liked being a part of their group. She had more fun with them doing the absolute dumbest things than she did at the mall with her fellow cheerleaders. She was thinking over all this one day as she sat in the basement half-watching _The Brady Bunch_.

"You know what's weird?" Michael was chewing gum. "All the guys have brown hair, and all the girls have blonde hair. What are the odds of that?"

"Another question is, where are Mike and Carol's previous spouses, huh?" Fez crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair, like he had just uncovered some sort of conspiracy. Jackie just rolled her eyes, but she had to smile. They might be idiots, but they were _her_ idiots.

The three of them sat in the basement for a few hours, until Michael and Fez started to get bored.

"You sure you don't wanna come with us?" Michael asked Jackie as he shrugged his jacket on. "Throwing stuff in the quarry is really fun!"

"Yes, sometimes you can hear things hit the bottom!" Fez added helpfully.

"Oh no, you two go on," Jackie tried to stifle her giggles. "I've got some homework to do anyways." As much as she liked having a constant hold on Michael, sometimes she needed time away from him. Also, there was no way she was gonna stand out by the quarry and watch Michael and Fez toss stuff down.

"Alright, then" Michael shrugged, leaning down to kiss her goodbye. "See ya later, Jackie."

"Yes, goodbye!" Fez smiled, leaning down for his own good-bye kiss.

"Ew, Fez, no!" Jackie screeched. "Goodbye, Michael. Fez, get a grip." They left, and Jackie went back to disinterestedly watching _Sanford and Son_. She had started to get into the show, when the basement door slammed open and Hyde stormed in.

"Oh," he stopped short when he saw Jackie staring wide-eyed at him. "Sorry. I, uh, didn't know anyone would be here."

"Are you alright?" Jackie was naturally nosy, and she was _dying_ to know what had Hyde all hot and bothered.

"Yeah, it's nothing," he muttered, grabbing a soda off the top of the deep-freeze. Jackie was surprised when he plopped down next to her on the couch. She pretended to be engrossed in the show, but she couldn't stop thinking about what could possibly cause Hyde to act so crazy. She steeled herself, knowing that Hyde would more than likely shut her down like _that_.

"Hyde, are you-

"My mom split." he suddenly burst out. Jackie's jaw dropped. _I didn't see that one coming_. She stared at Hyde, unable to come up with anything; for once, Jackie Burkhart was speechless. Hyde suddenly looked stricken, bringing a hand up to his forehead.

"Oh, Jesus," he groaned. "Forget I told you that. Don't tell anyone, you hear me?" Jackie nodded, still trying to absorb this news. _Hyde's mom….left him? What's he gonna do? Where's he gonna live? What about food?_

"And if you open your big, fat mouth, I'll tell the whole school you-you-" Hyde was struggling to think of a threat. "Well, I'll tell 'em something terrible, you can count on that!" he finished, taking an angry swig of his soda.

"I-I won't tell anyone, I swear," Jackie found her voice. "But….I mean, did your mom….really leave? She's gone?"

"That's what the note said," Hyde laughed bitterly. "A note. Can you believe that? Didn't even have the guts to tell me in person."

Jackie felt terrible; her parents were absent, but they were still _there_. Hyde was already missing a dad; now he was down a mother. He had no one. Jackie could feel a lump rising in her throat, tears in her eyes, but she furiously blinked them away. She wouldn't cry for him. Hyde would hate that, and she couldn't make him feel worse than he already did.

"Steven," she said softly, and Hyde, at the sound of his given name, turned quickly to face her. Jackie was surprised to hear herself call him that, too. Like everyone else, she had always called him Hyde, but it didn't feel right to call him that in this moment. "Steven, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

Hyde nodded slowly, taking another sip from his soda. "Yeah, well….sorry don't mean much now, does it? I mean, what are you even apologizing for? You aren't the one that ran out on me."

"I know," Jackie bit her lip. "But I'm sorry, all the same." Almost instinctively, she reached out a hand, placing it on his knee. She didn't know why she did it, but it felt right. Hyde looked down at her hand, small and delicate as a china doll's. And, to Jackie's surprise, he put his own hand on top of hers, squeezing it carefully. They sat like that until Eric came home.


	3. Chapter 3

Jackie had always been beautiful. She couldn't remember a time when people hadn't told her how pretty she was, how perfect her hair was, how nice her smile was. So she felt that there was nothing wrong with spending a considerable amount of time on her appearance. Hey, if she was a brainiac who spent all her time studying, no one would say anything! People were born with different gifts and Jackie's main one was her ability to blow people away with just one wink. That's why it always annoyed her when _some_ people made snide comments about her beauty routine.

"Geez, how long are you gonna stare at yourself in the mirror like that?" Hyde's annoying voice startled her out of her fierce concentration.

"I'm not _just_ staring at myself in the mirror," Jackie snapped, looking up from the tiny compact she was holding in her hand. "I'm _trying_ to apply this new shade of lipstick, but _someone_ keeps interrupting me with stupid questions."

Hyde smiled sarcastically back at her. Jackie hated how he wore those sunglasses all the time. She never knew exactly what he was thinking, or if he was joking around or not, or sometimes even if he was awake or not.

"Why are you even bothering with that? There's no one in here to impress," Hyde gestured vaguely around the basement, empty but for the two of them.

"Oh, I'm _so_ sorry that I like spending time on my appearance!" Jackie widened her eyes. "I mean, it's not like I _like_ putting on makeup and looking good for my _self_! I mean, I _must_ be trying to impress someone else!" She shot a withering look at Hyde and turned back to her mirror and lipstick.

"Aw, don't get all sore about it," Hyde groaned. "I just meant that, uh," he cleared his throat and Jackie glanced back over to him. He sounded….uneasy. "Well, I just meant that, you don't need makeup. You're a knockout with or without it." he smiled crookedly at her and Jackie felt her heart race. But she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of knowing that he had put her right on the edge of "hot and bothered" territory. She snapped the compact shut and stood up, walking slowly over to Hyde's chair.

"What a nice thing to say, Steven," she cooed. Hyde looked scared, and rightly so. Jackie leaned over him and, surprising even herself, kissed him slowly on the cheek, pressing her lips down hard. She heard him sharply inhale. _Oh, I've got him good_. "But if you say anything….disparaging about my beauty routine again," she breathed in his ear. "You'll live to regret it."

She turned and walked towards the door, but not before seeing the bright red lipstick print she had left on his cheek. _Perfect_. What she didn't see? Hyde bringing his hand up to the cheek she had kissed, leaving his hand there, feeling the slightest traces of warmth she had left.

After that day, Hyde never mentioned her makeup habits again. But sometimes, he thought about teasing her again. Maybe she would kiss him again. Even though it had taken a while to scrub off, he hadn't minded the lipstick on his cheek. He didn't mind it at all.


	4. Chapter 4

Fighting with boyfriends was a new experience for Jackie. Every other boy she managed to enchant was completely and utterly under her thumb, so arguments were few and far between. Steven Hyde had managed to smash this pattern. They fought all the time, about practically everything under the sun. There were very few things they agreed upon, but the one thing they did? That they loved each other. That was the most important thing. Every other fight was just something to brush off. They were having one of those fights today, but Jackie wasn't sure if they could move past it this time.

"I don't get why you're always trying to change me!" Hyde yelled angrily. They were in his car, where most of their fights took place. "I never said I was gonna be anything other than myself and-

"Oh, that's really rich coming from you!" Jackie laughed incredulously. "You're always telling me to listen to different music, read different books, stop shopping all the time, 'you're such a square sometimes, Jackie,'" she broke off. " _You're_ the one that's been wishing I was different."

"That's because you have shitty taste!" Hyde clenched the steering wheel.

"The only thing I have shitty taste in is boyfriends!" Jackie crossed her arms, trying to stop herself from just screaming with frustration.

They were parked behind the Hub, but Hyde looked like he was ready to just stamp on the gas and get the hell out of there. "Burkhart, you really-

"I really what, Steven?" she cut him off. She was practically seeing red and she couldn't wait for him to come out with his stumbling replies. "I'm really spoiled? I'm a brat? A cheerleader without a soul? I've heard it all before, so you'll have to come up with something new this time."

"You want everything to be perfect and that's not what real life is! You're living in a fantasy world!"

Yeah? Well, if I was living in a fantasy, you sure as hell wouldn't be here," Jackie felt the words tumbling out of her mouth before she could stop them. That was the problem with being the ice princess of Point Place. You knew how to hurt people without feeling a damn thing. "You're the furthest thing from a fantasy! You're a terrible boyfriend! And hey, I might be a crazy bitch, but at least people don't keep _leaving_ me!" As soon as she said it, she clapped a hand over her mouth, horrified by what she had said. Hyde wasn't a very sensitive guy, but mentioning his parents was an extremely low blow. Jackie felt sick. She had said the worst thing she could think of, and it hadn't made her feel good about winning the argument. She felt like the worst version of herself: catty and cold and dumb and unfeeling. Hyde had been a big part of why she was different now.

Hyde was silent. Jackie couldn't read his expression from behind his glasses, but she knew it wasn't good.

"Steven, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to…." she trailed off, feeling tears in her eyes. He still didn't say anything, and Jackie felt her heart breaking, already picturing him leaving her. "Steven, please say something! Tell me I'm a bitch! Yell at me, do _something_!" her voice was rising. She needed a response, she needed to know how to play the rest of this conversation.

"Jackie," he finally spoke after summoning a deep breath. "That was a shitty thing to say. If anyone else had said that to me, I probably would've decked 'em."

"I know, I know, and I understand if you never wanna see me again, but-

"Let me talk, Burkhart." Jackie fell silent, afraid of what Hyde might say next. "If anyone else had said that to me….well, it would be hard to forgive. And I know that you're sorry, but….well, I think maybe we need to take a break for a little while."

Jackie felt tears spill over onto her cheeks. "What do you mean, 'take a break'?"

"I mean, I don't wanna see you for a little while." Hyde spoke heavily, and every word dropped on Jackie like a pile of bricks.

"Okay," she said quietly, trying not to scream and sob and force him to change his mind. "Okay, I guess I'll just….well, I'll probably see you in the basement."

"Yeah," was his only response. Jackie opened the car door and slid out. She started walking towards home. She knew Hyde couldn't see the tears streaming down her face, but she hoped he wouldn't notice the shake of her shoulders as she tried to stifle her sobs.

A few days passed. Jackie spent very little time in the basement, but whenever she saw Hyde, she could feel that crack in her heart growing bigger and bigger. He always acted utterly indifferent to her presence, but that was his zen face. Jackie had no idea how he was feeling, if he wanted her back, if he would never forgive her. Finally, she decided that she couldn't take it anymore.

She went over to the basement late, hoping that everybody else had already cleared out by then. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door.

There was Hyde sitting in his chair, drinking a beer. It would be so natural for her to just stride across the room and drop down into his lap, to kiss him softly and then lean her head on his shoulder. But she had messed up, so now she just carefully stepped into the room.

"Hey, Steven."

"Hey," he glanced up at her, then back at the TV. She stayed standing.

"We need to talk."

"Huh."

"Yeah, we do," she pressed on, hoping to say everything she needed to before he inevitably broke up with her. "I said something really terrible, I know. I'm sorry for saying it, but that doesn't really matter."

"Why not?" Hyde was looking at her now, getting to his feet to stand in front of her.

"Because being sorry doesn't change the fact that I said it in the first place," Jackie shrugged. "Anyways, I understand why you didn't want to see me for awhile. If you'd said something like that to me, I wouldn't have wanted to see you, either."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. And...well, I'll understand if…." Jackie tried to catch her breath; she could feel her chest tightening. "I'll understand if you want to break up or whatev-

She was cut off from saying anything else when Hyde kissed her suddenly. She twined her arms around his neck, the feeling so familiar and right, she could almost forget why they had been fighting in the first place. But when they broke apart, it came rushing back.

"Burkhart," Hyde licked his lips, still holding her waist. "What you said made me really mad. Like, 'punch a brick wall' mad. It was a crappy thing to say, and it was the lowest blow possible."

"Steven, I know-

"No, hold on, let me finish." He had the ghost of a smile on his face. Jackie was afraid to get her hopes up, but she could feel her heart beating faster. "It was a low blow, but….well, did you really think I would break up with you over something like this?" his tone was slightly incredulous.

"Of course I did!" Jackie gasped. "I said a really terrible thing! It's not your fault your parents left you! They just suck as people. It had nothing to do with you. I just said it because I was really mad." she looked down.

"Hey," Hyde put his hand under her chin, guiding her eyes back to meet his. "Yeah, I was mad at first. And I needed some time to cool off, so I wouldn't say anything terrible to you. But you were wrong."

"How?"

"You said people keep leaving me," Hyde smirked. "But you're still here."

Jackie felt tears in her eyes again. _Why does he have this effect on me? It's like whenever we're together, boom, instant waterworks_.

"Of course I'm still here," she sniffed. "I always will be."

"And that's why," Hyde said softly, pulling her closer. "I know that, whatever we fight about next, we'll always figure it out. Because I'm not leaving you, either.

Jackie buried her face in his chest. This was where she felt safest. This was home. _Hyde_ was home.

"I'm still sorry," her voice was muffled by his shirt. He chuckled and stroked her hair.

"I know, babe, I know."

Jackie pulled back, gazing into his eyes. _Stupid sunglasses are in the way_. She pulled them off to reveal his bright blue eyes, shining with happiness. Shining with love. So, she _had_ to kiss him again.

Hyde and Jackie fought all the time. They disagreed on pretty much everything, but at the end of the day, they agreed on the most important thing: that they loved each other. That tied them to each other, together or apart. Every other fight was just something to brush off. And that was how they liked it.


End file.
